alt.tv.charmed Frequently Asked Question

by Colin A. McGregor

For this FAQ, questions are welcome, as well as better answers to the questions listed below.

    The music:

  1. What is the name of the opening theme song and who sings it?

    2. The actresses, actors, producers:

  2. How do I contact the show’s actresses/actors/producers?
  3. What are the home addresses of the show's actresses/actors/producers?
  4. How can I find out what other series/films the actresses/actors/producers have appeared in/worked on?
  5. What are the actresses/actors/producers birthdays?

    6. Stuff:

  6. Where can I get Charmed merchandise?
  7. What about Charmed books and other publications?
  8. Where can I get Charmed videotapes and/or DVDs?
  9. What is the three-pointed symbol we see hanging from the cat's collar and on the Book of Shadows?

    10. This News group:

  10. Are commercial postings tolerated in alt.tv.charmed?
  11. Are binaries welcome in alt.tv.charmed?

    12. The show:

  12. What about the show pilot?
  13. Will there be a season 5?
  14. Where/when can I catch Charmed (in & outside the U.S.)?
  15. What is the show plot?
  16. Where can I find an episode guide/plot summary?
  17. How many episodes are there?
  18. Can I get "Charmed" episodes over the Internet?
  19. Where is Charmed filmed?

    20. Glossary and misc. info.:

  20. What about a Charmed Bestiary?
  21. Could I have a list of interesting Charmed related websites?
  22. Could I have a list of other Charmed related newsgroups?

    23. Disclaimer / Notices

Introduction

This FAQ is to support the newsgroup alt.tv.charmed. alt.tv.charmed was created to support the TV show "Charmed", which is shown on the WB network in the U.S. (with other networks that it is shown on listed below...).

This FAQ started because I got very annoyed at the umpteenth request being posted in this newsgroup for information about the opening theme music (the FAQ hasn’t stopped the question from coming up but I think/hope it helps...).

The music:

1. What is the name of the opening theme song and who sings it?
The opening song is "How Soon is Now" performed by the band "Love Spit Love". This song is an edited version of the song "Love Spit Love" did for the soundtrack of the film "The Craft" ("The Craft" soundtrack is available on CD from, or can be ordered via most record stores (from: Sony/Columbia; ASIN: B000002BKB)). The first band to perform this song was "The Smiths", and a large number of other bands (besides "Love Spit Love") have since performed this song. To the best of my knowledge the song as edited for "Charmed" is not yet available on CD and/or tape.

The actresses, actors, producers:

2. How do I contact the show’s actresses/actors/producers?
The show's address is Charmed, c/o WB Television Network, 4000 Warner Blvd., Building 4-R, Burbank, CA, 91522, U.S.A.. Shannen Doherty and Alyssa Milano can be reached c/o United Talent Agency, 9560 Whilshire Blvd., Suite 500, Beverly Hills, CA, 90212, U.S.A.. The addresses for other agents/PR people of other cast members would be appreciated.

3. What are the home addresses of the show's actresses/actors/producers?
As there have been too many cases of fans getting a little too crazy regarding celebrities, I will not include this information in this FAQ. I personally do not have this information and am NOT interested in getting it. If you have a genuine need for this information, try contacting the person your interested in via one of the above addresses.

4. How can I find out what other series/films the actresses/actors/producers have appeared in/worked on?
The best spot I have found so far for gathering this sort of information is the Internet Movie Database, http://us.imdb.com/. They do have entries for all of the show regulars, as well as what appears to be a very respectable number of the show's guest stars.

5. What are the actresses/actors/producers birthdays?
Unless otherwise stated, the person in question has appeared in, or worked on at least one episode of first, second, third and fourth seasons. Also note that in the case of Brian Krause, he started as a recurring guest star before becoming a main character.

Stuff:

6. Where can I get Charmed merchandise?
TV Merchandise (www.tvmerch.com), Creation Entertainment (www.creationent.com), and eMerchandise (www.emerchandise.com) all carry some Charmed related merchandise. Visit their websites for details.

Inkworks has released a series of Charmed trading cards based on the first season of Charmed (see www.inkworkscards.com for details). Information on other vendors handling Charmed related items would be appreciated.

7. What about Charmed books and publications?
I am aware of the following Charmed related publications:

8. Where can I get Charmed videotapes and/or DVDs?
The First season of Charmed has been released on DVD. For details have a look at: http://kickme.to/dvdarchive. Note that I gather this site is NOT offering DVDs sanctioned by the studio, so those who are concerned about the legalities should probably stay away. As well, there have been some reports of this firm not shipping the DVDs as promised, so be careful.

9. What is the three-pointed symbol we see hanging from the cat's collar and on the Book of Shadows?
It's a Triquetra or "Trinity Knot". In pre-Christian times the Celts used this symbol to represent the triple goddess (Maiden, Mother and Crone).

Early Celtic Christians used the symbol to represent the trinity of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

This newsgroup:

10. Are commercial postings tolerated in alt.tv.charmed?
Depends. If the commercial message is for things that are CLEARLY related to the TV show Charmed (ie: Charmed T-Shirts) then yes, brief ads in very small numbers are tolerated, even somewhat welcome. If on the other hand the message is for something like yet another make-money-fast scheme, then the message would be most unwelcome.

11. Are binaries welcome in alt.tv.charmed?
No. Binaries are NOT welcome in alt.tv.charmed, please post them to web pages, or into newsgroups that welcome binaries. However once you have posted your Charmed related binary elsewhere, please feel free to make a brief note about what you have done in alt.tv.charmed.

Keep in mind two things, first many of the people reading this newsgroup do so via dial-up internet in nations where all calls (even "local" calls) are charged on an x amount of money per minute basis, and thus don’t appreciate unexpected masses of non-text messages. Second, many system administrators because of storage issues will delete any binary messages they find outside a *.binaries.* newsgroup.

The show:

12. What about the show pilot?
There was a pilot shot for the show, but to the best of my knowledge the pilot was never broadcast and to the best of my knowledge is not available for sale on video. For the pilot Lori Rom was cast as Phoebe Halliwell, and another actor was cast as Andy Trudeau with the other cast members being largely as we knew them in first season. Copies of the pilot were sent out to some members of the press, so anyone who is determined to see this should with some effort be able to track down a copy (start with the likes of eBay).

13. Will there be a season 6?
Unknown, An announcement about this will likely be made in the spring of 2003.

14. Where/when can I catch Charmed?
Below are the normal broadcast times for Charmed in a number of places. Do keep in mind that the broadcast times shown are the normal times, and can be subject to change due to special events, sporting events running into overtime, etc., etc., so do check your local TV listings to confirm times. Thanks to MIB, Brian Condron, John Fletcher, Will Harris, Reggie van Leeuwen, Jonas S. Madsen, Vico, Nae, Noel Carroll, Carl, Sogs, Steve Pullan, Jurriaan van Doornik, Per Goetterup, Michael Wimmer, S.J. Grootscholten (Netherlands), Dalaughterman (Ireland), Kender Forever (Netherlands) Martin Sack (Germany), Joerg Plate (Germany), Patricia Rareg (France) Domerico (Italy), Trevor Ashman (New Zealand), Glenn Phillips (New Zealand) and Cardman (U.K.) for their notes about Charmed in their parts of the world. With the exception of the Canadian and U.S. listings (that I can check via my local TV listings), the following are based on reports that have been e-mailed to me or posted in alt.tv.charmed, so notes about errors/updates are very much appreciated.

15. What is the show plot?
In the first episode we meet the three adult Halliwell sisters (Prue, Piper and Phoebe) reunited at the old family home in San Francisco six months after the death of their grandmother. Grandmother raised the sisters after their mother died when Phoebe (the youngest) was very young. Just after being reunited, the door to the attic in the home previously always locked, unlocks. Inside the attic the sisters find a book titled "The Book of Shadows", written by several generations of their ancestors with various magic spells, and notes about various evil beings. The sisters discover that they are the Charmed ones, good witches with the job of defending the innocent and stopping various sorts of evil. In all of this the sisters discover each of them now has magic powers. Prue has telekinesis (the ability to move things by though), Piper has the ability to appear to stop time in an area for everyone except good witches, and Phoebe has the ability to see the future. In addition shortly into the first season the three sisters discover they can all see and talk to ghosts. The sisters are limited in that they can not use their powers for their own personal gain (for example, no picking winning lottery numbers, as Phoebe finds out the hard way).

This is not a static show, the characters do change, the sister's powers do (very slowly) increase both in ability and scope. We also discover that some of the powers are a little more complex than they first appear (like Piper’s seeming time stopping ability). Good and evil characters will show up for a number of episodes and then leave.

In first season we see police inspector Andy Trudeau (and his assistant Daryl Morris) become increasingly suspicious about how his sometimes girlfriend Prue Halliwell seems to have a connection with many of his odd cases which makes for a regular subplot. In season 2 there is a shift caused by the death of Andy Trudeau and the presence of new neighbors Dan and Jenny. In season 3 a further shift with the departure of Dan (and Jenny) plus the presence of Assistant District Attorney Cole Turner. With season 4 we have the death of Prue and a new sister.

16. Where can I find an episode guide/plot summary?
There are several good guides out there, the following however appears to be a good starting point: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/4144/ charmed.html

17. How many episodes are there?
There was one pilot episode filmed (which has not been shown on broadcast TV), and then 22 episodes each in season 1, 2, 3 and 4 (giving us 88 broadcast episodes or 89 total episodes). As of this writing season 5 is being shown, and baring disaster we will see a total of 22 season 5 episodes.

18. Can I get "Charmed" episodes over the Internet?
Sort of and no. There are sites that do offer downloads of Charmed episodes over the Internet (for which you will want some sort of high speed internet connection, be it xDSL, cable modem, T1, OC3, or whatever…). When it comes to Charmed downloads be warned that in most (if not all) nations this sort of activity is illegal, and if legalities concern you then stay away. As for watching "live" broadcasts of Charmed via the Internet answer appears to be no. "JumpTV" (http://www.jumptv.com/) does offer live streaming video feeds from some TV stations. However, while I have not checked out all of the non-English language stations that "JumpTV" carries, it would appear that at least in English, Charmed is not available.

19. Where is Charmed filmed?
With the exception of some "stock" shots of San Francisco streets and skyline, the show is filmed in and around Los Angeles.

Glossary and misc. information:

20. What about a Charmed Bestiary?
Here is a list of some of the beings that are seen in the show.

21. Could I have a list of interesting Charmed related websites?

22. Could I have a list of other Charmed related newsgroups?
Try the following:

Disclaimer / Notices
This article is provided as is without any express or implied warranties. While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this article, the author assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Copyright (c) 1998 - 2003 by Colin A. McGregor, all rights reserved.

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